Be the Bunny
Written: Jan 20 '03 (Updated Jun 28 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Challenging gameplay, cartoony graphics, all the old favourite characters!
Cons: Dodgy perspective changes, sometimes overly repetitive
The Bottom Line: Great fun for adults, but may be too hard for young kids to master.
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| captaind's Full Review: Bugs Bunny: Lost In Time for Windows |
You know the sort of game you buy to keep any kids that may be visiting quiet, and then end up spending hours playing it yourself with no kids in sight? Well, this is just that sort of game.
Overview
Bugs Bunny - Lost In Time is basically a 3D platformer with elements of problem solving, a storyline, and end of level baddies. These take the shape of all Bug's various enemies - Elma Fudd in the Stone Age, Yosemite Sam (always my favourite character!) in the pirate age, etc. Certain parts of the game are based to a greater or lesser extent on cartoons I remember, thus increasing the nostalgia value. (As my mother-in-law always says, "you're never too old to have a happy childhood".) The story revolves around an accidentally activated time machine, and Bugs must battle through five eras in order to reach home.
First Impressions
Bugs Bunny - Lost In Time is basically a 3D platformer with elements of problem solving, a storyline, and end of level baddies. These take the shape of all Bug's various enemies - Elma Fudd in the Stone Age, Yosemite Sam (always my favourite character!) in the pirate age, etc. Certain parts of the game are based to a greater or lesser extent on cartoons I remember, thus increasing the nostalgia value. (As my mother-in-law always says, "you're never too old to have a happy childhood".) The story revolves around an accidentally activated time machine, and Bugs must battle through five eras in order to reach home.
The sound efects and speech samples throughout are a little sparse, but good quality where they are used. The music's okay - but nothing more.
Interface
The control system (I've only used the keyboard) is a little tricky to get used to, but isn't too bad once you have. Collision detection is sometimes a little off, but as this is always seems to be in the player's favour, that's not actually a bad thing! The main problem is remembering what keys do what, the placement of the keys is actually pretty sensible.
The menu is very simple but can be a little sluggish – though this isn’t really a huge problem.
Difficulty
The gameplay is involving and challenging, and with enough variety to keep things interesting. The only problem comes when you complete a level but have missed something you needed to collect, in which case you have to replay the whole level (and again if you still miss it...). In this case the gameplay does become repetitive and, on occasion, insanely frustrating. (But then this is the mark of a truly addictive game!)
Generally though, this is a game that you won’t be completing any time soon, and there’s not too much danger of being stuck in the same place for weeks..
Aesthetics
The graphics are quite good but by no means brilliant by modern standards - the minimum requirement is a lowly 2Mb SVGA card, so even the most basic 3D card should be sufficient to display the highest possible resolution for the game with no difficulty. The graphics are very cartoony, which obviously fits the game perfectly. The 3D is pretty good although a little basic by modern standards - this in no way detracts from the game, however. You do get the odd mistake where Bugs can walk halfway into a wall etc, but to be honest these are few and far between. By far the worst thing about this game is the way the perspective shifts without being asked to - this isn't usually a problem, but can sometimes lead to you walking off a cliff as you suddenly find that you're facing a completely different way to a few seconds previously.
Will You Still Be Playing it in 6 Months’ Time?
I’m not quite sure about a full 6 months – but I got the game because it looked like it might be fun for a while, and was still playing 3 months later! Despite its annoying quirks, this game comes highly recommended.
Is it Worth the Money?
Absolutely. An added bonus for owners of older systems is that it doesn’t even need a 3D card!
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Final Ratings
Graphics: - 77% - the carton-style graphics look pretty good even though the game’s ancient, and are fairly authentic to the original characters.
Sound: - 67% - OK music and pretty good speech samples and SFX.
Playability: - 78% - the controls take a bit of getting used to, but once you’re past the initial annoyance of struggling with them it plays fine.
Longevity: - 86% - it’ll keep you going for quite a while. Plus of course you can keep the kids quiet with it…
Replay Value: - 81% - it varies, but generally you’ll keep going back to it - perhaps even after you’ve completed it.
Value For Money: - 90% - as a budget title it represents superb VFM.
Overall Rating: - 83% - it’s not the best game ever, but you’ll have a lot of fun playing it. Kids may find it a bit tough though.
Kiddies might also like:
Catz5
And games you won’t mind your kiddies playing:
The Monkey Island Archives (MI1-3)
Escape from Monkey Island (MI4)
Grim Fandango
Recommended:
Yes
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